JW subtitle extractor

Welcome!
Since our last update,
we’ve had five more special conventions.
They were held in the following locations:
Prague, Czech Republic;
Helsinki, Finland;
Budapest, Hungary;
Reykjavik, Iceland;
and Zurich, Switzerland.
Delegates came from over 30 countries.
It’s a joy to see
the love and unity of Jehovah’s people.
A total of 578 were baptized
at these conventions.
A highlight
of the special convention in Iceland
was the release of the complete
New World Translation in Icelandic.
The rich spiritual food
at this year’s convention
refreshes and strengthens us
to keep declaring the good news.
Of course, as we think about the ministry,
we have in mind the new service year
that’s approaching rapidly.
Maybe you’ll remember
that beginning September 1,
we will have an exciting worldwide campaign
to offer Bible studies.
It’s good for us to begin preparing now.
During the campaign,
we’ll offer Bible studies
to as many people as possible,
using the Enjoy Life Forever! brochure.
For that month,
auxiliary pioneers will have the option
of choosing either a 15-hour requirement
or a 30-hour requirement.
Why not take a few minutes this week
to look at your schedule for September?
Prayerfully consider if you can expand
your ministry that month.
We also have something
very encouraging to share with you.
On Sunday, July 28,
we reached a special landmark
with regard to Bible translation.
The New World Translation
is now available in whole or in part
in 300 languages.
Isn’t that amazing?
We have so many exciting things happening
in Jehovah’s organization.
But now for the rest of our update,
I’d like to speak with you
about an important topic:
the need to remain focused on God’s Kingdom
as the real solution to mankind’s problems.
This vital truth helps us to stay neutral
regarding the world’s political issues.
This year’s regional convention
helps us to keep this point in mind.
At the convention, we get to enjoy Episode 1
of The Good News According to Jesus.
It reminds us how
the appearance of the Messiah
was such good news.
With Jesus’ arrival on the earth,
all the promises of God
would now come true through him.
And what would these promises include?
That the real solution to mankind’s problems
—God’s Kingdom—
would be established with Jesus as King.
What qualities does Jesus manifest as King?
Isaiah 9:6, 7
prophetically describes Jesus this way:
“For a child has been born to us,
“a son has been given to us;
“and the rulership will rest on his shoulder.
“His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
“Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
“To the increase
of his rulership and to peace,
“there will be no end,
“on the throne of David and on his kingdom
“in order to establish it firmly
and to sustain it
“through justice and righteousness,
“from now on and forever.
The zeal of Jehovah of armies will do this.”
These verses show us that Jesus’ rulership
is characterized by peace,
justice, and righteousness.
And his rulership will continue forever.
How reassuring that is!
We’re grateful to know that God’s Kingdom
is already established in heaven.
It is already the real, permanent solution
to all of the problems of the human family.
But we need to keep
this reality clearly in mind.
Why?
Because the times we live in
can make it challenging
to keep focused on God’s Kingdom
as the real solution to all of our problems.
There are many things
that divide the world today.
There’s so much unrest and many conflicts.
There’s constant effort
to make people take sides
on political questions and even elections.
In fact, it’s estimated
that billions of people
—nearly half the earth’s population—
live in countries where there will be
or have been political elections this year.
We also see an increase of nationalism
and patriotic ceremonies,
including in schools.
Even sporting events
can stir up nationalistic divisions.
All of these things
are in the news every day.
The world is facing unprecedented problems,
and imperfect humans
have many ideas on how to solve them.
But as Jehovah’s Witnesses,
how do we view these divisive topics?
Of course, we don’t get involved in politics.
We remember Jesus’ words
at John 18:36, where he said:
“My Kingdom is no part of this world.”
As a result, we give
our wholehearted allegiance to that Kingdom
and do not become involved
in the politics of this world.
Of course, Romans 13:1, 2 indicate
that the secular authorities
“stand placed
in their relative positions by God.”
Therefore, we appreciate and deeply respect
the role that governments have today.
This is in harmony with Jesus’ words
recorded at Matthew 22:21,
where he said:
“Pay back, therefore,
Caesar’s things to Caesar,
but God’s things to God.”
So while we show honor
to those who hold positions of authority
in the government,
we don’t get involved
in political issues or debates,
no matter how right or just
a particular cause may seem.
We “keep on . . . seeking first
[God’s] Kingdom and his righteousness.”
We know that is the real solution,
so we don’t take sides
on the world’s issues, even mentally.
We don’t favor one candidate
or political party over another,
regardless of whether they seem
to support or oppose our interests.
We keep focused on the real solution
—God’s Kingdom in the hands of Christ Jesus.
What can help us to protect our neutrality?
We’ll briefly mention two ways:
First, we can spend more time
focusing on the solution
than on the problem.
And second, we can spend more time
talking about the solution than the problem.
Let’s discuss the first way.
What can help us to spend more time
focusing on the solution
rather than the problem?
Daily Bible reading and meditation.
That will help us
to keep our spiritual armor intact.
And we safeguard our heart
by limiting how much time we spend
listening to or reading news
and social media websites,
which can leave us anxious,
depressed, and even exhausted.
A second way we can protect our neutrality
is to spend more time
talking about the solution than the problem.
Isn’t it true that our speech
indicates what’s in our heart?
What if we freely express strong opinions
regarding this world’s elections, wars,
or other political matters?
Might that indicate
that our neutrality has weakened?
This could be like
a warning indicator light on a car.
Our speech might indicate
that we need to give
our neutrality some attention.
The best way to talk about the solution
is by preaching the good news
of God’s Kingdom.
This helps us to stay focused.
We’re convinced that Jehovah
will remedy all injustices that we face.
Preaching helps us
to keep our hope clear in mind.
Hope is an anchor
that stabilizes us during turbulent times.
It prevents us from drifting away
from Jehovah or his organization.
If we continue to do all these things,
we’ll remain neutral
regarding this world’s politics
and we’ll stay focused on the real solution
—God’s Kingdom.
The Governing Body
is sharing these important reminders
because Satan, “the ruler of this world,”
is pressuring Jehovah’s people
like never before.
The Devil wants us
to take sides on these issues.
If we do, we are no longer neutral.
We could even find ourselves
taking a stand against Jehovah
and against his Kingdom.
In effect, we could be acting
as though we think the Devil
has the solution to our problems.
Never would we want that to happen!
So, dear brothers and sisters,
this is a matter that requires
our careful and prayerful attention.
To help us keep
the real solution clearly in mind,
make it a priority to have a personal
or Family Worship study project
on the topic of neutrality.
Here are a few ideas:
In the book Scriptures for Christian Living,
you could review the information
about “Governments.”
To find this publication in JW Library®,
go to the Library tab,
then Publications, then Books.
Another idea is to review
the October 2023
Watchtower study article entitled
“Are You ‘Ready to Obey’?”
The March 2019 edition of JW Broadcasting®
had an excellent discussion about neutrality.
To find this in JW Library,
go to the Library tab,
then Video, JW Broadcasting,
and then look under Monthly Programs.
Or on jw.org,
search for “March 2019 broadcast.”
Of course, on jw.org
if you search “Neutrality,”
you’ll find many other
helpful videos and articles.
We can be sure that Jehovah’s heart rejoices
to see millions of people
from all nations of the earth
united in worshipping him, remaining neutral,
and declaring the real solution
to mankind’s problems
—the good news of God’s Kingdom.
Brothers and sisters,
please know that we love you all very much.
From the World Headquarters
of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
this is JW Broadcasting.

2024 Governing Body Update #5